The Last Spracklen Creation...

[Fernando]

Problem is the very same....

[Tibono2]

Unfortunately the Sparc ROM is supposed to start within the Leonardo but Hap today has advised Franz that isn't happening and the standard Leonardo engine is loading instead. Franz thinks he knows the problem and maybe later or tomorrow we might see an update to the problem.

Hi Bryan,
actually it is not that much of a problem. The emulation is perfectly correct(*), running a Renaissance chess computer with a Sparc module inserted.
The fact is you need to select any level from e to h column, in order to activate the Sparc module. And you definitely can do this by yourself, as in real life a Sparc owner would need to do.
The small change Franz wants to apply is pre-select an entry level (my guess: e1) to, by default, set the computer to use the Sparc module. This would be done by setting the level once (manually) then use the "save default state" feature. Just a "shortcut" to ease the use...

As an example:
Level a4 = 15s per move, using the 6301Y CPU and Kaplan's program
Level e3 = 15s per move, using the SPARC CPU and Spracklen's program

(*) to be confirmed: maybe the speed is a bit slow, compared to a real hardware module
Kind regards,
Eric

[Tibono2]

Problem is the very same....

Sorry to read that, Fern. Maybe you are right, your computer is simply not compliant to run the CB-Emu. Or maybe the unzipping of the package failed to complete, and the emulator is lacking part of the data it needs (e.g. resulting in missing folders). This you can check easily: using the Windows file explorer, right-click on the CB-Emu folder name, choose properties: should look like 4008 files, 583 folders, ~272Mb in size. Should you find significantly less files or folders, something went wrong and try re-installing. Numbers can be slightly different, as some files are created/updated upon use of the emulations.

Would have loved to help more, as it is a pity not to access this awesome set of emulated chess computers!
Warm regards, stay safe,
Eric

[Fernando]

In fact, I was capable at last to run the thing after some tweaking...yes, old as I am, I am not totally ignorant of the art of tampering with these monsters... Remember I am old enough to be educated on this issue with old good DOS, bat. files, changing this and that, loading high memory, and all that stuff .

I will play Spark now!!

Fern

[Fernando]

I got a draw.......
three moves repetition
Fern

[TomFurga]

Can the cb-emu be used on a windows notebook (no laptop) and what specifications (Mhz, video card, storage space etc.) must it have in order to use the program smoothly?
Thanks in advance for the information.

Tom

[Murat]

The minimum requirements are:

Intel Core 2-series CPU or equivalent, at least 2.0 GHz

64-bit OS (Windows 7 or later on Windows, macOS 10.9 or later on Mac)

4 GB RAM

DirectX 9.0c for Windows

A Direct3D, or OpenGL capable graphics card

[TomFurga]

Thanks Murat, I'll think about it.

[pawnzephyrpeaceful]

It's a bummer that the Spracklen got the boot after their hard work, but hey, that's how the cookie crumbles sometimes. As for Mr. Hubner bringing that advanced hardware back to life in his next emu software, it's definitely an exciting idea. While I can't say for sure if it's possible, technology works wonders these days, so who knows? If anyone can pull off such a feat, it might just be Mr. Hubner. Here's to hoping for some amazing tech wizardry and a nod to the past.

[Tibono2]

garbage in, garbage out...
There is no "Mr Hubner" involved in this area. Just a typo from Fern in his first post.